Necropolis: London and Its Dead - Hardcover

Arnold, Catharine

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0743268334 ISBN 13: 9780743268332

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK, 2007

Synopsis

Necropolis is a luminous, oddly beguiling account of how London has treated its dead, ranging from Roman burial rites to the horrors of the plague, from the founding of the great Victorian cemeteries to the more recent trends of collective grief and the cult of mourning, such as that surrounding the death of Princess Diana. Leaving no headstone unturned, Catherine Arnold unearths one of the great untold histories of the nation's capitol. Skillfully blending history, architecture, archaeology, and anecdote, she also explores phenomena like bodysnatching, public executions, and the rise of the undertaking trade. Ghoulishly entertaining and full of fascinating nuggets of information, Necropolis is destined to become a classic work on the city.

About this title

About the Author:

Catharine Arnold read English at Cambridge and holds a further degree in psychology. A journalist, academic and popular historian, she is the author of the Lost Time, winner of a Betty Trask award.

Review:

"Everything you always wanted to know about perishing in London."  —Kirkus Reviews

"Deeply pleasing . . . . Entertainment of the most garish and exquisite kind. . . . A Baedeker of the dead."  —The Times

"Stitching archaeological discovery and architectural detail to anecdote and cultural commentary, Necropolis paints London as a city 'drained by death.'"  —Financial Times

"Enthusiastic, good-humored and constantly engaging."  —Daily Telegraph

About this edition

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0743268334
• ISBN 13: 9780743268332
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 320